GAME CHANGER?

Will the Dubai Tram persuade more residents to switch to public transport and have a wider impact on the economy?

THE INAUGURATION OF THE DUBAI Tram was a much-publicised affair in the city, with the emirate now becoming the first to introduce a tramway system in the entire Middle East region. The tramway also boasts many other ‘firsts’ – it is the first outside Europe to be powered by ground-based electric cables, avoiding the need for hanging cables; the first tram in the world to utilise platform screen doors; the world’s first to offer air conditioned stations and different cabin classes including gold, silver and women & children carriages; and importantly, the first tram in the world able to work in temperatures of up to 50 degrees and withstand a humid and sandy atmosphere.

Opened in typical Dubai-style on 11/11 (November 11), the first phase of the tram stretches 10.6 kilometres with 11 stations covering major residential and commercial areas between Dubai Marina and Al Sufouh.

The second stage of the Dubai Tram will extend 14.6 km along Sufouh Street, according to Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), although it is not yet known when work will begin.

The tram fleet comprises 11 trams in the initial stage, with 14 trams to be added in the second stage, bringing the total to 25 trams. It is expected to serve about 27,000 riders at the start of operations in 2014, increasing to an estimated 66,000 by 2020.

According to Mattar Al Tayer, chairman and executive director of the RTA, the decision to start a tram service came about after the RTA conducted a study which revealed that the JBR and the Marina areas needed massive improvement in their road network and a mass transit system that linked to the Dubai Metro and the Monorail on the Palm Jumeirah.